Coal is extracted by Vinacomin workers from the Mong Duong coal mine in Quang Ninh Province

The group has recently asked its affiliates including Cua Ong Coal Preparation Co, Dong Bac Corp and Uong Bi, Nam Mau, Hon Gai coal companies and to ensure efficient coal resources to meet these two export plans.

Earlier, Vinacomin official website quoted Nguyen Xuan Minh, head of the group's commercial department saying that the group's coal exports showed an recovery signal this month as it had won contracts to ship 3 million tonnes of coal abroad.

Of the total, Chinese counterparts would bought 2 million tonnes.

In the first half of 2012, Vinacomin exported nearly 7 million tonnes of coal. However, in July alone, the group has exported only 300,000 tonnes of coal.

As of last month, its coal stockpiles had reached 10.5 million tonnes due to difficulties it had encountered in both domestic and international markets.

Vinacomin has recently petitioned the Government to reduce the coal export tax from 20 to 10 percent this year to help the corporation avoid further losses, said its deputy general director of Vinacomin Nguyen Van Bien.

Despite this, Vinacomin had incurred losses of VND8 trillion (USD380 million) every year on average for several years, because it sells coal for power production at below market prices under a Government subsidy programme.